When you’re the party of conservatism and you lose someone like Ditka, who self-identifies as an “ultra-ultra-ultra conservative,” it’s time to do some soul searching and figure out what’s gone horribly awry.

Ditka aggressively lit into presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump and the party as a whole, and much of what he said is NSFW. If the Ditkas are dropping out, then who’s going to remain? Ditka has actually been more a four-star general than a lieutenant to the GOP as he’s spent decades stumping for Republican candidates; even those who were doomed.

“If the Clinton/Gore team were to be elected,” Da Coach said during the 1992 Presidential campaign, “it would be the biggest step backward this country has taken in its 200 years of existence.”

In 2004, “Iron Mike” announced he would try to oppose Barack Obama in the 2004 Illinois Senatorial race, but his run never came to fruition.

Then in 2008 he got on the stump for Sarah Palin, an individual that history is already starting to view as Trump 1.0 in some ways.

As you can see, Ditka’s loyalty to the party is admirably unquestionable. Ditka is a classic fit for Trump supporters because, like the presumptive Republican Presidential nominee, he shows a remarkable consistency to find himself on the wrong side of history.

Via Flickr

Take the issue of sexual harassment, and read Ditka’s comments from 2010 when former New York Jets employee Jenn Sterger was blatantly sexually harassed by NFL legend Brett Favre. In Ditka’s world, a married man texting a single female co-worker pictures of his penis might or might not actually be sexual harassment, simply because she waited two years to go public with it.

Then consider the hot topic of bullying, and revisit Ditka’s views on the 2013 Miami Dolphins fiasco. When then Dolphins offensive lineman Jonathan Martin was getting bullied by teammate Richie Incognito, Ditka, in his NFL pundit role at ESPN, referred to Martin as a “baby.” The previous week, Ditka used his national television platform to advise Martin to punch his co-worker in the mouth.

What CBS Chicago’s Tim Baffoe wrote on the situation then is just as true today, as labeled the Chicago Bears legend thusly: “Ditka is binary, obtuse and a caricature.” You can find similar neanderthal ethos in Trump’s worldview, both domestically and when it comes to foreign relations. The Donald, like Iron Mike, have “toughness” as the core of their individual brand. Their blustery talk is perceived by the masses to be indicative of how truly tough they are, and that toughness supposedly makes them effective leaders who will allegedly keep us safe.

Toughness and machismo is intertwined with Social Darwinism, which itself is intertwined with both football and politics. That’s not a bad thing, because social darwinism is like wasabi- you need some in order to have any flavor, but too much will destroy you.

Many, on both the left and the right, agree (at least to an extent) that political correctness has run amok and society has often become either a.) too easily offended or b.) trying too hard to be offended or c.) both

Comedian and social trail blazer Tina Fey said it best: “There’s a real culture of demanding apologies, and I’m opting out of that.”

Thus we’ve become a society where corporate speak is replacing English as the official language, the press release is the new gospel, and any individual with anything at all to lose never speaks publicly without being cleared first by a media relations professional on a power trip.

Seemingly, the only way you can express a political opinion while staying “on brand” these days is to Instagram a picture of yourself waving the American flag on Fourth of July with a caption that reads: “Happy Birthday America! U-S-A! U-S-A!”

Expressing any political opinion other than the one just mentioned doesn’t gel with your corporate sponsors. Having to always speak in an utterly humorless manner that sounds like it tests well with focus groups is an awful thing that has rightly inspired backlash. Much of Trump’s popularity stems from his ability to resonate with this backlash. Unfortunately, he consistently does so in a manner that’s ridiculously unprofessional at best, egregiously offensive at worst.

Exactly like Trump, Ditka’s popularity is largely based on speaking with a Borat-like candor, during an era when the status quo is painfully vanilla. The last time Ditka truly accomplished something on the gridiron was 30 years ago, yet he’s steadily remained relevant in the three decades since.

“He did a great job letting people know who he was (back in 1985), and he is who he is and he speaks his mind,” said Payton, the son of Walter Payton, the star player on Ditka’s 1986 Super Bowl winning Bears team and quite possibly the greatest running back in NFL history.

“Whether you love or him or hate him, you got to love that he speaks his mind, and then stands behind it,” Payton told me by phone.

“That’s what’s really gotten him to this point. He’s honest, like it or not that’s how he feels and most people around him respect that about him. Rather than try to be someone else, he’s always been him, and I think that’s what’s resonated with people over time since 1985.”

Very true. Whether you love Ditka or hate him, you must recognize the masterful marketing of his individual brand. He’s an extremely rare breed, somehow finding this magical sweet spot where he can be both corporate shill and bluntly plain-spoken, on any topic, any time, any where.

As Baffoe pointed out in a December 2013 column:

“Ditka has done approximately 47,000 endorsements in his career. I don’t begrudge him the right to make a buck—it would just be nice if people appreciated the irony of him supposedly being some Everyman.”

Ditka’s agent keeps getting calls for his client to endorse products because Ditka still moves the needle. He has tremendous marketing appeal to a meathead base that overwhelmingly usually votes Republican. In that same December 2013 column, Baffoe penned a sentiment I agree with and have been expressing for several years: “for all his faults, at least Ditka seems to get that he’s a parody of himself that gets to profit from it,” and then cited this quotation. “I can tell you honestly, probably the best thing that can happen is when you stop taking yourself so damn serious,” Ditka said in 2013.

“And I quit. I don’t take myself serious.”

Congratulations Mr. Ditka, on reaching this rare level of self-actualization. Now if only Mr. Trump could do the same.

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Paul M. Banks is a regular contributor to RedEye, the Chicago Tribune's youth-oriented daily newspaper. He appears regularly on WGN's CLTV (usually wearing a sport coat with skinny jeans) and KOZN 1620 The Zone. Banks previously contributed to the NBC Chicago and Washington Times websites. He currently owns and manages The Sports Bank.net, partnered with FOX Sports Engage Network and News Now. Growing up with three older sisters and no brothers, he inevitably ended up a member of #TeamOverDressed